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Gateau Surprise Chocolat Pistache

August 18, 2007

Note: I apologize for the quick post you read here but I still have company for another week or so and it seems that I am fullfilling my godmother part pretty good. Sophie is quite busy having made some friends her age and discovered the joys (hmm,hmm...) of dating in America. Yes, French people have different dating rules and "games". I try to calm her nerves while waiting for the stupid "three days no call" rules that guys like to play here. In the meantime, I am making her cakes!!

You know a cake has to be good when it pops up over the years on some of the best food blogs out there. I hope I will carry the torch with honor. Clotilde presented the original and Heidi and Jen made some perfectly mouth watering renditions. The cake appealed to me so much that I made it the exact same say I read about it. The only thing that surprised me is in the lengthy steps undertook by my predecessors in mixing the two different batters. The original recipe they followed called for making the chocolate batter first, then rinsing the bowl to prepare the pistachio one. I don't know about you, but in a 100F + weather and very little intention to mix, rinse, mix, bake, wash, I knew I had to come up with an easier way to achieve the same result.

I remembered my beloved zebra cakes, or my mom's comforting marbled chocolate-vanilla cake and decided to go the same route: make one plain batter, divide it in half and add to each part the elements they needed to create both the chocolate and pistachio batters. I wouldn't call this blasphemy, just practicality...especially when a mob of hungry teenagers was starting to crowd my kitchen!

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease 12 small paper cake cases.In a food processor mix together the sugar and butter until fluffy. Add in the eggs one at a time, pulsing in between each addition. Add in the yoghurt and the vanilla extract, pulse again. Add the baking powder, baking soda and all of the flour. Divide the batter in half. In one half, add the cocoa powder, in the other the pistachios and chocolate chips. Then using an ice cream scoop, place one scoop of batter into each paper case. Rinse the scoop and add the pistachio batter on top of the chocolate.use an ice scoop to place the pistachio batter on top. Smooth out the surface using a spatula. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to rest for 5 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Maybe i was lazy the day i baked that cake because i also made 1 batter than divided it. And i also made a few changes: heavy cream in place of yoghurt, a little more cocoa, a little more chocolate, and raw pistachios instead of pistachio paste.. quite a cake!!http://sandrakavital.blogspot.com/2007/07/gateau-surprise-pistacho-de-clotilde.html

I did not have a doubt in my mind that you would not make a good godmummy!! Who came up with that 3-days-waiting-to-call rule anyway. If any of those boys knew Sophie's godmum was such a good baker they'd all be standing in a line! LOL! Looks delish!

I have seen this cake on all the blogs you've mentioned and each time I want to make it...and now your's looking every bit as delectable as the ones that came before! I know there was a reason I waited...and that was for your reduced-steps! :)

Ack! The "3-days no call" rule! We have that here too...phooey to that!

You have such a flair for presentation to go along with your amazing talents in turning out all things yummy! These cakes look absolutely beautiful, so elegant and appetizing. I'm glad Sophie is having such fun...she will always have very fond memories of this special visit with you. :-)